Top 10 tips for going Gluten/Diary free

*Bowels, bums and a bloody annoying belly, lets talk about it! Not many people like to share their bowel information in general conversation but it causes so much stress in some people’s lives. One in five people suffer with irritable bowel syndrome and I’m one of them, my stomach tries to rule my life. I am gluten free and dairy free and I wanted to share with you my journey and top tips on going gluten and dairy free.

Speaking from experience, if you are thinking about cutting out gluten (wheat) and Dairy, please, don’t do it the way I did.

Up until 3 and a half years ago, I could eat anything I wanted (pretty much) I used to get the odd bad stomach ache but nothing too bad. I worked full time and my colleague told me, I complained about my stomach pain far too often. This planted a seed in my mind, I ate ALOT of bread and pasta and we both thought this could be causing my pain. I spoke to my Grandmother because she too is intolerant to Gluten and Dairy. I ended up just cutting it out, which was the wrong way to do it. I then ended up having to go to the doctors because my pain continued and I had to eat Gluten for a whole month so they could test me for celiac disease which was a nightmare. My test came back saying I wasn’t celiac and my doctors just advised I stayed away from the foods that didn’t agree with me.

This is the time when I really took notice of EVERYTHING I was putting into my body. I noticed I indeed had an issue with Dairy, I’m not lactose intolerant because I’ve tried and tested those lacto free foods and I still get really bad stomach. I decided to cut out dairy and keep a food diary of any other triggers to my IBS. I would roll around in so much pain crying before I cut dairy and wheat out, so although it’s been a long learning curve It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Below are my top personal tips!

Top tips

Don’t just cut it out for good, trial it. Cut down and see if you feel any better first.

Be mindful of how you’re thinking about the situation. Be patient, think about what you can eat, rather than what you can’t.

Check out Deliciously Guilt Free Brownies, The dark ones above are dairy free too but the others aren’t, they are the best brownies! Check out planet organic, Wholefoods, Tesco free from, Sainsburys free from, Marks and Sparks (although they aren’t great for dairy free)

Thank you, I mean it’s not the same with everyone who has IBS but it was the case for me. I still suffer occasionally but it’s helped me. I guess if you’ve cut down that is so good, I wish I had done that! xxx